Northland gets its first location of this Kansas City taco chain

A popular local taco chain in Kansas City officially opened its first-ever Northland location, just one storefront that is part of a bigger expansion plan for the taco joint.

Tiki Taco opened its sixth restaurant on Tuesday at 9711 N. Ash Ave. It’s the first Tiki Taco to open north of the river, but not the last, with plans to open another restaurant at Metro North (8480 N. Jefferson St.) later this year.

The latest opening from the Tiki Taco team marks the sixth location of the Cal-Mex restaurant. While not technically in Liberty, the new Tiki Taco is located just across the line in Kansas City near other KC-area favorites like Red Door Woodfired Grill and Betty Rae’s Ice Cream.

“We have had Kansas City Northland fans — and a whole lot of Liberty folks — asking us to come their way for a long time, and honestly, the timing couldn’t be better,” Eric Knott, CEO of Tiki Taco, said in a press release. “We may technically have a Kansas City address, but this location belongs to the Liberty community just as much.”

North-of-the-river guests can expect Tiki Taco’s usual menu offerings at the Liberty-adjacent location, like tacos, burritos, nachos, and chips and dips. Tiki Taco also serves soft drinks, beer and multiple Cal-Mex or tropical cocktails that can also be ordered to go.

Other Tiki Taco locations to come include storefronts in the Crossroads (412 E. 18th St.), Overland Park (11586 Nall Ave.), Lawrence (602 W. Ninth St.) and the Metro North restaurant.

Knott and the team behind Tiki Taco — which include the owners who bought the original Tiki Taco at 39th Street in 2020, brothers Lyndon and Lindsey Wade and their mother, Judy Rush — have had plans to double in size since at least 2024, according to reporting from KCUR. Tiki Taco first opened in 2017 at 1710 W. 39th St., but the brand began to expand in 2022, with the second opening of a Tiki Taco on Troost Avenue.

Hours for the new Tiki Taco are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Katelyn Umholtz

The Kansas City Star

Katelyn Umholtz is The Star’s Food Insider and covers Kansas City’s restaurant scene and food and beverage news. She comes to Kansas City from Boston, where she was an award-winning food and restaurant reporter for Boston.com and the Boston Globe Media Partners. She has worked in newsrooms across the country for nearly a decade as an education journalist, breaking news reporter and editor. Katelyn is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where she studied journalism.